Voices and Votes

About Voices and Votes

Voices and Votes: Democracy in America is a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program, on display at the Prindle Institute for Ethics from October 10 through November 20, 2026. The exhibition traces the history and ongoing tensions of American democracy across five thematic sections, from the founding ideals that shaped the Constitution to the long struggle for voting rights, the informal machinery of campaigns and parties, the role of protest and petition, and the contested question of what citizenship means. Together, these sections ask visitors to consider a question as relevant today as it was in 1776: Who are “the people,” and how do they make their voices heard?

The exhibition is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9AM to 4PM, with extended evening hours on Thursdays until 7PM. Weekend hours are Saturday, 12PM to 4PM. Local organizations are welcome to host group visits and meetings at the Prindle Institute during open hours. We also invite area schools to bring students for a field trip experience that connects history, civics, and ethics in a way that goes well beyond the textbook. To arrange a group visit or school field trip, use the forms below or contact us at prindleinstitute@depauw.edu.

EXPLORE ➔

Events

The Prindle Institute will host a full slate of public programming throughout the exhibition’s six-week run. The exhibition opens with a public reception on October 10, and the weeks that follow include civic dialogue workshops, movie nights, kids’ story hours, book clubs, and an Election Night results watch party on November 3. The exhibition closes with a reception on November 20. Details and registration for individual events are forthcoming this summer.

FULL EVENT CALENDAR →

Get Involved

Voices and Votes will be in Greencastle before we know it, and we want the community to help shape what that looks like. The Prindle Institute is committed to building a program that reflects Putnam County’s own stories, voices, and civic life. If you have ideas for events, partnerships, or ways to connect the exhibition’s themes to our local community during the America 250 celebration, we want to hear from you. Please reach out to project directors Alex Richardson and Kristen Fuhs Wells at prindleinstitute@depauw.edu.

Press

“Democracy on Display: Smithsonian’s ‘Voices and Votes’ Exhibit Coming to 7 Hoosier Towns and Cities,” The Indiana Citizen

“Coming Soon: Voices and Votes Exhibit in Seven Small Towns Across Indiana,” Indiana Humanities

PRESS KIT →        MEDIA REQUEST →

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